ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · can · spring · dip · season · file · mouse · court

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spring — a coil
  11. file — a line of people
  12. can — a tin
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. season — in sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a document
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com